Draymond Green has never been short of opinions about Memphis, and on a recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” he offered his most pointed take yet. With the NBA on the verge of expanding to Las Vegas and Seattle, Green used the moment to make a case that has nothing to do with the new franchises and everything to do with an existing one.
Draymond Green Calls on Adam Silver to Send Grizzlies to Nashville Amid NBA Expansion Talks
The NBA is looking to expand, with voting set for March 24 and 25. Team governors are expected to kick off a formal bidding process for new franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle. Both new teams will land in the Western Conference, creating what would now become a 32-team league.
But this uneven split between conferences is what immediately creates a headache. Green’s answer to that problem was pretty straightforward. Even if Memphis fans won’t love hearing it, he goes on.
“Memphis, which should probably be in Nashville, should be an Eastern Conference team,” Green said on his podcast. He then went further, directing his appeal straight to the commissioner.
“Adam, let them just do us all a favor, and take the team to Nashville. No harm no foul, the relocation fee, it’s a swap. Leave that arena, you ain’t got to pay the relocation fee.”
Green wasn’t just helping the league realign with his arguments. He had a more personal reason to address, one that’s built on his own experience visiting Memphis as a road player.
“There are no great hotels in Memphis. I love the people of Memphis, they are incredible, shout out to the people of Memphis, I love them. But just from an NBA standpoint, there’s not a sauna or a hot tub in sight. No where. Not at the gym, not at the spa, not at a hotel, nothing.”
His message to Silver was blunt: “Get Memphis the hell out of Memphis and send them to Nashville… Do us all a favor, Adam. Nobody will be upset. Not one person will be upset.”
For what it’s worth, this isn’t a new line of thinking from Green. He called Memphis hotel stays “an issue” as recently as February, so at the very least, he is consistent.
Green is not the only prominent voice to raise Nashville’s profile in recent expansion discussions. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith made a similar suggestion on March 16, arguing that Nashville has become a more attractive and thriving city that deserves greater consideration in expansion talks, although Smith was careful to add that he was “not advocating” for the Grizzlies to leave Memphis.
The comments still drew a sharp response from Greater Memphis Chamber president and CEO Ted Townsend, who fired back publicly on X, criticizing Smith for never having visited the city despite an invitation from Memphis Mayor Paul Young.
The Grizzlies’ situation adds some fuel to the speculation. The team’s attendance this season ranks last in the NBA, and their arena lease in Memphis expires in 2029. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, however, has already moved to shut down relocation talk, stating during All-Star Weekend last month that “relocation is not on the table right now.”
Green, predictably, wants it back on the table and is making clear he knows exactly where he’d like the conversation to go.
